The Other Side of the Coin
by Bree-Hitachiin
Summary: A childhood visit to a freak show shows Kaoru that there's more to love and friendship than appearances. Years later an unexpected visitor shows up on the stairs of the Hitachiin mansion, forcing Kaoru into a decision that could leave him stranded.


Hello all! I was listening to a song from The Phantom of the Opera, and I heard a line that inspired me to write something new! I hope you like it, it's still a work in progress so let me know how you like it please. Enjoy!

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><p>1990<p>

"Come, come inside! Come and see the Devil's child…" The vile and disgusting man leered over the ticket counter and gave a greasy sneer to the small boys. They cowered behind their mother's skirts, poking their red heads around either side of her. She smiled and stroked their flaming locks with care.

"There's no need to be afraid, boys. Let's go inside and take a look, shall we?" She said and paid the 3 pennies to the still smirking ticket seller. He gave a short cackle and pulled back the dirty curtain to the tent on his right. Still shaking with fear, the young twins clung to their mother's skirts as they followed her into the dim tent.

"Mama why do we have to go in? It's dark," said one of the twins. He grabbed his brother's hand behind his mother and squeezed it. The other squeezed back, trying to give a reassuring smile to his slightly younger counterpart. The three advanced slowly towards the cage illuminated by a single spotlight and the mother separated the boys' hands and grasped each one tightly.

The cage was rusty and very small, only a few feet long and half as many wide. Two tiny hands covered their noses as they approached, the putrid smell of rot and decay emanating from the cage being too much to bear. A rustle came from the cage as they stood a small distance away and peered into its short depths. There were 3 gasps as the figure in the prison became clear and stood close enough for them to see. The creature appeared to be human; however its features were twisted and distorted into an ugly face that looked anything but human. Burns covered the naked body, matching the face in its ugliness. The older twin looked at the boy behind the bars with disgust and contempt, feeling no pity for him; while the younger had tears in his eyes and bit his lip to keep from sobbing.

"Mama let's go," he whispered and pulled on her arm. She frowned and yanked the arm from his grasp, grabbing his wrist and pulling him closer to the cage with the sad looking boy inside.

"Now, Kaoru," she said bitterly, "you need to learn not to be afraid of this pitiful creature." He looked at his loving and caring mother with disbelief, wondering how she could sound so heartless about this poor boy that was no older than he himself. She pushed the twins towards the cage and held them close to it.

"Look at that thing," she said, "and do not let it feel pity from you. You are much better off than that creature and it doesn't deserve your sympathy." Kaoru had tears running down his face as he looked upon the other child, hating the people who had caged him and wanting to help him. He looked to his older brother for help, only to see him picking up a stone from the ground and weighing it in his hand with a look of determination. Before Kaoru could say anything, his twin had thrown the rock and had hit the black haired boy in the head. Kaoru gasped and waited for the boy to react, fear plastered upon his tiny face. He had expected the boy to cry or make a sound, maybe to fight back; but he just stood and allowed the rock to hit him without even looking up at his attacker.

"Hikaru! Why did you do that!" Kaoru cried at his twin, pushing him with his hands balled into small fists. Their mother immediately intervened and pulled the two apart.

"That's enough Hikaru," she said without further reprimanding him for his cruel act. She then turned to her younger son and slapped his juvenile face with enough force to leave a nasty red mark. He looked up at her with hurt eyes before turning his face away to look again at the boy in the cage. He was looking at the scene with indifference, his dark eyes without life or feeling of any kind. Kaoru walked slowly up to the prison again and put his hands on the bars.

"What's your name?" He asked, ignoring his mother's shouting for him to get away from the filthy creature. The dark haired child's eyes went back to the floor of his cage and he scuffed his feet.

"Kyouya," he said in a small and crackling voice. He sounded as if he'd had nothing to wet his throat in days. Kaoru gave him a small smiled and bowed shallowly.

"I'm Kaoru. I won't forget you Kyouya," he said as his mother began to drag him out of the tent. Kyouya's eyes lit up with a small spark at Kaoru's smile and he waved at the red head, feeling like a person for the first time in his short life.

Outside the tent, the slimy ticket seller's awful grin had faded as the lady he'd just let into the tent came back out pulling her two boys with her. One was bawling his pathetic golden eyes out and the other was looking at his brother with a hateful expression. The seller immediately entered the tent, fast enough that he caught the Devil-Child still waving with his stupid smile on his despicable face.

"What are you so happy about?" He shouted and unraveled the whip from his side under his long black cloak. Kyouya's smile faded quickly and he retreated as far back in his enclosure as he could, falling onto his backside and scrambling to get into the corner before the whip bit him again. He heard the crack of the evil length of leather and soon felt the familiar sting on his scarred thigh. With a cry of pain he held his leg in a feeble attempt to keep the blood from seeping out.

"You repulsive creature! How dare you even think that that boy gave one care about you! You are nothing! A deformed and putrid nothing of a boy! No one will ever love you and you will spend the rest of your miserable life in this cage!" Spittle flew from the thin lips of the carny and covered the dirty child like mist, making him shiver and curl up as he tried to keep the bleeding on his thigh to a minimum. He was used to the abuse, and he simply waited for his owner, Mr. Ootori, to finish hurling insults before putting his head on the beds of rotting straw and attempting sleep. He didn't let his "father" see his smile as he pictured an angelic face topped by a crop of red hair.

"Kaoru," he whispered as he drifted off to sleep.

Meanwhile, Kaoru's sobs escalated as he heard the whip and the string of insults pouring from the mouth of the lanky man.

"Mama why do we have to hate Kyouya?" He cried as he was forced into the minivan next to his eerily silent twin. She gave him another smack and slammed the door. Kaoru looked at his brother with bleary eyes, hoping he would help him. Hikaru simply scoffed and turned away, but not before giving his brother the same look he had given Kyouya not five minutes before. Taken aback, Kaoru began to whine to his mother again.

"Mama please! Why do we have to be mean to Kyouya! What did he do wrong?" He couldn't understand what he had done that was so wrong. Kyouya couldn't help it if he looked a certain way, so why should he be in trouble for that? Kaoru's mother looked at him in the rear view mirror and sighed.

"Kaoru you shouldn't feel bad for people that are less fortunate than you. That boy was ugly and no one will ever love him, but you have a family and a big house and lots of money. You shouldn't have to be nice to poor people like that creature." Kaoru bowed his head and sniffled, trying to erase his pity to please his mother. He felt like it was wrong to hate Kyouya, but he knew that if he wanted his family to be happy with him he had to, even if it was just pretend hate.

"Yes Mama. I understand." He said quietly, and Hikaru gave a smirk before taking his brother's hand again.

_I won't forget you Kyouya..._

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><p>Hope this wasn't too cruel or anything (although...Kyouya being ugly is cruel enough. I feel somewhat ashamed. But not really. It's all in the name of...science?) Please review, I need your thoughts!<em><br>_


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